<p>The government should seize the opportunity of Brexit to reform EU regulation to reduce the risk and complexity associated with building new homes and so help smaller builders build more.</p> <p>This is one of a series of recommendations revealed in a report released by the Home Builders Federation which highlights the challenges faced by small to medium sized (SME) housebuilders in looking to increase housing output.</p> <p>The report – “Reversing the decline of small housebuilders” - sets out a range of proposals to address the finance, planning and red tape barriers preventing smaller firms from playing a bigger part in tackling the housing crisis. Over the past 25 years the number of SME builders has reduced by around 80%, but HBF says that just getting back to the number operating in 2007 could produce an additional 25,000 homes a year.</p> <p>The problems are highlighted in the report by Redrow founder Steve Morgan. He grew a fledgling business into a national publicly listed builder but he says this “would be almost inconceivable today”.</p> <p>The report is based on in-depth interviews and discussions with HBF’s smaller members and highlights access to finance and the increasingly complex planning and regulatory systems as the …